KUGR News

Monday, January 13, 2014

The Wyoming Business Council is pleased to announce Julie Kozlowski as the new Business Ready Community/Community Facilities Grant and Loan Programs manager.Prior to this position, Kozlowski, of Cheyenne, Wyo., worked with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program at the Business Council, first as an economic development project manager and most recently as the planning and program development manager.“Julie brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this position,” said Molly Spangler, director of the Investment Ready Communities Division at the Business Council that oversees the Business Ready Community (BRC) and Community Facilities Grant and Loan programs. “We are really pleased to have Julie take on this new role and we know she will do a great job in this position.”Kozlowski previously worked as the housing and community development coordinator/technical assistance grant program manager for the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation in Anchorage, Alaska. She also served as a policy analyst and assistant director of the Office of Federal Land Policy for the state of Wyoming. Prior to that, Kozlowski worked for Wyoming Governor Sullivan, then U.S. Rep. Craig Thomas, and former U.S. Sen. Al Simpson in their Washington, D.C., offices.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

A report by a disability advocacy group says residents at a state facility for the developmentally disabled are exposed to significant safety risks. The group says the unsafe conditions are exacerbated by the Wyoming Life Resource Center's failure to secure dangerous areas or lock away potentially harmful chemicals. It also says staff at the Lander facility failed to take adequate steps to address suicide risks at the center, leaving residents unsupervised or with easy access to items they could use to harm themselves. The report was done by Wyoming Protection and Advocacy System, which is a nonprofit that investigates abuse and neglect of people with disabilities. State officials say that the center is safe but they're reviewing the report and facility operations.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Green River URA/Main Street Annual Trunk or Treat will be held this Saturday. Rod Ness wants area kids and their pets to put on those costumes and head on down to Clock Tower Plaza and North First Street East.

The event also features a Kids' Creepy Crawly Parade and Pumpkin Patch.

All of the ghoulish fun will take place from 11 am to 1 PM this Saturday.

A federal judge says the government shutdown is not a good enough reason to postpone a hearing in Reno Thursday in a fight between the Interior Department and wild horse advocates over hundreds of mustangs gathered from a wildlife refuge on the Nevada-Oregon line. Justice Department lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Miranda Du for a stay in the proceedings until Congress restores both agencies' appropriations. Horse advocates claim it's a ploy to keep them from securing a court order to stop the shipment of animals to a Mississippi contractor they say has a history of reselling them for slaughter. The judge didn't address that claim, but ruled the critics have a right to argue their First Amendment right to have access to the horses to ensure their safety before shipment.

Wyoming Trout Unlimited has been recognized by the national organization for its statewide efforts. The Wyoming organization was presented recently with the "State Council Award for Excellence" by Trout Unlimited Vice President of Volunteer Operations Bryan Moore. Wyoming Trout Unlimited Chair Mike Jensen, of Evanston, received the award on behalf of the Wyoming group's council leadership, 11 chapters, 1,700 members and staff members. The state council award recognizes such things as work on leadership and organizational actions, attracting new members, mentoring new leaders and carrying out Trout Unlimited's coldwater conservation mission and vision.

At the request of the state of Wyoming, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has temporarily halted the cleanup of groundwater contamination at an abandoned Atlas missile site west of Cheyenne. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality asked the Corps to stop cleanup so it could collect more data to determine the exact location and movement of the underground contamination. DEQ Water Quality Division Director Kevin Frederick says the agency believes the Corps needs to do a better job of identifying where the contamination is and how deep it is in the Ogallala Formation. Project director for the Army Corps of Engineers Jeff Skog says that the data collection project will take a couple of years.

The state Board of Education is sticking with its support for new statewide K-12 education standards in English, language arts and math. Wyoming is among about 45 states that have adopted the Common Core State Standards. Members of the board heard a presentation Tuesday from Amy Edmonds with the Wyoming Liberty Group, which opposes the new standards. Edmonds asked the board to consider stopping the rollout or ending the use of the Common Core and returning to a system that better allows for local control. Two teachers spoke in support for the new standards, saying they were tougher and more challenging. Board member Pete Gosar noted the standards have a lot of support from educators in the state.